This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

BIG Engineer's Objectivity Questioned in Haverford

At the behest of Haverford attorney James Byrne, Michael Tantala addressed questions surrounding his objectivity and the safety of the proposed Haverford billboards.

HAVERFORD–In a continuation of a July 21 hearing, the Bartkowski Investment Group (BIG) engineer Michael Tantala delivered three additional hours of testimony regarding his approval of five billboards proposed to go in Haverford Township, Thursday night at a meeting of the Haverford Township Zoning and Hearing Board.

Tantala has approved 13 billboards to be put up in the area—five in Haverford Township, five in Springfield and three in —. Haverford attorney James Byrne attempted to call Tantala's objectivity into question.

Byrne established that Tantala's firm Tantala Associates LLC is a member of, and has "preferred supplier" status, in an organization called the United States Sign Council (USSC)—a group whose stated purpose is to advance the business interests of sign shop owners.

Find out what's happening in Marple Newtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tantala got hired to evaluate Haverford's proposed signs without admitting this affiliation, though he argued that he didn't realize he was a member until July 20, of this year when it was revealed during a previous hearing. Tantala also argued that while his firm is a member, he technically may not be.

Read the full recap on Haverford's BIG hearing on Haverford-Havertown Patch here.

Find out what's happening in Marple Newtownwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

's Zoning Hearing Board on the billboards with BIG will continue at a scheduled special meeting on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?